Nahirang na Undersecretary ng Department of Justice mula
1995 hanggang Abril 1998.Kasabay noon
siya pa rin ang hinirang na Commissioner of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory
Board; Chairman of the Board of Pardons and Parole; Commissioner of the
Commission on Settlement of Land Disputes; at Member of the Committee on
Privatization.

Si Justice Presby ay nagsilbi rin sa Integrated Bar of the
Philippines (IBP) sa iba't ibang mga kapasidad: bilang National President noong
1987, as Commissioner of the IBP Committee on Bar Discipline, and as Honorary
Chairman and Past National Co-Chairman of the IBP National Committee on Legal
Aid.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

On February 19, 2019, Malacañang announced the
enactment into law of the bill which establishes the option of mobile number
portability for all mobile phone subscribers in the country.

Cong. Lord Allan Velasco, as one of the original authors of
the measure through House Bill No. 5195, welcomed the President’s approval of
the bill. Under this new legislation, cellphone users in the country can
readily and conveniently switch to a different telecom service provider and
still retain their original phone numbers.

“This new porting process will ensure that cellphone
subscribers in the Philippines will be less vulnerable to fraudulent schemes
and that the risk of identity theft among them will be reduced. Furthermore, we
can expect that telecom service providers will improve their perks and
privileges since cellphone users can easily and effectively switch to a
different provider if they are not satisfied with their previous one,” Cong.
Velasco said.

Exactly ten years ago, An Ordinance Declaring February Twenty-One of Every Year as "Araw ng Marinduque" was adopted on January 28, 2009, by the 11th Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Marinduque. Its sponsor was former board member, Yolando R. Querubin.

Section 1. DECLARATION. In commemoration of the re-establishment of Marinduque as an independent province on February 21, 1920, through Act. No. 2880 signed by then American Governor-General Francis Burton Harrion, the 21st day of February of every year is hereby declared as the "Araw ng Marinduque".

Section 2 of the said Ordinance stated in part:

Section 2. BRIEF POLITICAL HISTORY.

"... On May 1, 1901, the United States-Philippine Commission (The Philippine Commission was a body appointed by the President of the United States to exercise legislative and limited executive powers in 1901, acting as the upper house of a bicameral legislature, with the elected Philippine Assembly acting as lower house. The Jones Act of 1916 later created an elected Philippine Senate to replace the Philippine COmmission), passed Act No. 125 which created the Province of Marinduque, composed of the islands of Marinduque and the adjacent small islands. The provincial government was established in the municipality of Boac, the capital.

By virtue of Act No. 423, dated June 23, 1902, the US-Philippine Commission annexed the island of Mindoro, uncluding the island of Lubang (then separated from Cavite), to the Province of Marinduque. Boac remained as the capital of the consolidated provinces.

Four months later, on November 10, 1902, by virtue of Act No. 499, Marinduque was made a part of the Province of Tayabas, the present Quezon. On May 17, 1907, under Act. No. 1649, the Commission made Marinduque a sub-province of Tayabas with Juan Nieva as Lieutenant Governor.

Finally on February 21, 1920, Act No. 2880, sponsored in the Lower House by elected representative Ricardo Paras of Marinduque, separated the sub-province of Marinduque from Tayabas and re-established the former Province of Marinduque. That law was signed by American Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison."

Interestingly, there is a Section 3 Contestability Clause in said Ordinance that reads:

Section 3. Contestability Clause. Any person or entity/organization who might find that February 21, 1920 was not the exact date when Act No. 2880 was signed into law may contest this Ordinance upon presentation of validated documents and evidences.

Here follows the document that serves as evidence of the exact date when Act No. 2880 was signed into law. Source: Official Gazette issue of 17 March 1920, Vol XVIII No. 11 showing a copy of Executive Order No. 12 signed by Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison.

"In accordance with the provisions of Act Number Two thousand eight hundred eighty, (Act No. 2880), approved on the twenty-first day of February of one thousand nine hundred and twenty, (February 21, 1920), I hereby establish as a province the former Province of Marinduque, as of February 22nd, one thousand nine hundred and twenty, and declare valid in all its force and vigor, as of that date, the provisions of said Act Number Two thousand eight hundred and eighty."(On which date should be adopted, the date of approval or date of effectivity, the NHCP in the matter concerning the correct date of the foundation day of the municipality of Buenavista, Marinduque stated that the NHCP Board earlier on on March 27, 2017, has resolved "to adopt in all cases” the date of approval “as its foundation date instead of the charter’s date of effectivity” on the basis of the latter date being merely procedural”.)

Monday, February 18, 2019

Beached or caught in the waters of Torrijos near Cagpo. This shark (or is it a butanding, whale shark, sperm whale, balyena, or plain sea monster really?), is said to have been caught by local fishermen in the open sea off Torrijos in 1979 and brought ashore. Other accounts claim it was found by fishermen dying at the shoreline. Photo: Junmel Tan

Then in the 80s, this balyena, whale was caught in the same waters and brought ashore in Brgy. Cagpo.

Above photos of shark and whale courtesy of Junmel Tan of Torrijos.

This photo shows similar skeleton of a sperm whale beached in Silago, Southern Leyte in 2000 that measured 52 feet in length. The said skeleton is now housed in a temporary shelter for Southern Leyte tourists to see. A permanent edifice with glass casing to be constructed to house the reconstructed bones.

In 1994 the Archaeology Division of the National Museum received a report from a certain Porferio de Guzman of Brgy. Buangan, Torrijos regarding a sperm whale stripped of its flesh, cleaned and kept by Mr. Luciano Matienzo.The complete set of the said whale skeleton measured 43.5 ft. long and was identified by the Museum as belonging to a male sperm whale, a highly specially toothed whale of the species Physeter macrocephalus.

The whale skeleton was purchased by the Museum after further verification for a negotiated price. The whale skeleton is now housed at the NM Building asrare osteological material.

Ngipin! A display case at the National Museum of the Philippines now keeps the Marinduque sperm whale's (Physeter macrocephalus) teeth for viewing (above). Photo: Eli J. ObligacionAnd today, 18 February 2019, this Marinduque Sperm Whale has taken center stage at the newly-opened National Museum of Natural History, Rizal Park, Manila.

Whale takes center stage at National Museum

by Rhodina Villanueva (The Philippine Star), 2/17/19

Photo: Walter Bollozos, Philstar

MANILA, Philippines — To celebrate World Whale Day, the
National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Rizal Park, Manila, yesterday
unveiled to the public its newest permanent display: the Marinduque Sperm
Whale.

“At the Hyundai Philippines Entrance Hall of the NMNH was
the Marinduque Sperm Whale, a 13.25-meter (43.5 feet) long sperm whale
(Physeter macrocephalus) skeleton suspended from the ceiling,” the National
Museum said in a statement.

“The story of how the skeleton of the whale came to the
National Museum began in 1994, when a report from Porferio de Guzman of
Barangay Buangan, Torrijos, Marinduque regarding a sperm whale found on the
beach there was received. Recovered, cleaned, preserved and kept by another
local, Luciano Matienzo, the almost completely intact male skeleton was
purchased from him and brought to Manila as a prominent highlight of the
museum’s collection of osteological specimens. Twenty-five years later, the Marinduque
Sperm Whale will now welcome visitors to the National Museum of Natural History
as they walk through its doors,” it added.

Photo: Walter Bollozos

The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale in the world.
It is one of the most iconic species of whale, made popular by Herman
Melvilles’ classic novel Moby Dick.

“This deep-diving whale was once abundant in seas all over
the world, including in and around the Philippines, but was hunted heavily by
humans from the 18th to the early 20th centuries for its oil,” the statement
noted.

In the Philippines, sperm whales can be seen alone or in
groups in Bohol Sea and Sulu Sea and around the Batanes group of islands.

“Now considered endangered, they are protected by local and
international laws,” the group added.

World Whale Day is celebrated annually to raise awareness of
these majestic creatures and their plight. Founded in Maui, Hawaii in 1980 to
honor the humpback whales that migrate to its waters to breed, this special day
is now celebrated all over the world to show support for whales everywhere.

Friday, February 15, 2019

Marinduqueños should truly treasure this monumental piece of art, a gift from Spain, sculpted in Mexico by Spain's foremost sculptor during his time, the award-winning Angel Tarrac.

Is it ever cleaned? Or polished for once?

The monumental relief in bronze of Fray Diego de Saura, launched at Boac Cathedral, 1979 with Spanish royalties gracing the occasion. Tarrac died in the same year.

The bas-relief of Fray Diego de Saura that stands in the
churchyard of the Boac Cathedral was sculpted by the artist Angel Tarrac,(1898-1979).
He was born in Barcelona, Spain. His mother came from an aristocratic family,
the Barrabias and his father completed the sculptural works of the ‘copula’ and
the two towers of the Barcelona Cathedral in 1910.

Throughout his career, Tarrac earned numerous coveted
awards. He won first prize for creating a monumental fountain in Barcelona, and
a gold medal in the Spanish National Exhibit. He erected the monument for the
French Republic in Agde, France and was awarded first prize for his stone
sculpture The Birth of Mexico, measuring 70 feet long.

Birth of Mexico by Tarrac, 70 ft. long, Mexico City 1963

Angel’s works were displayed in 29 exhibits between 1924 and
1999. In an exhibition in Barcelona in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War,
Tarrac presented a unique exhibition with 70 statues and portraits, sculpted
while the exhibition went on before the public.

He received offers to work in many other cities in France
after being set free by the French government to sculpt the Monument to the
French Republic. In 1942 he set out for Mexico.

Monument to the French Republic (center), Agde, France by Tarrac, 1939

This is where Tarrac was commissioned to do monumental work such
as the bust of the Spanish poet Jose Sagarra and the monumental relief for the
missionary Fray Diego de Saura that stands in front of the Boac Cathedral in
Marinduque. He sculpted the latter in 1978.

BOAC, Marinduque — The more than 200-year-old church in
Marinduque’s capital town of Boac is not only a cultural artifact but a
“symbol” of the province’s deep religiosity.

Built in 1792, the Immaculate Conception Parish Church,
commonly referred to as the Boac Cathedral, played “silent witness” to
Marinduque’s history.

“It is important, for one, because of its historical past.
It is also the foundation, the greatest monument of faith [of the people of
Marinduque],” said Boac Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr.

Strategic

The church stands on the hilly Barangay Mataas na Bayan,
also the town’s poblacion (center), overlooking the Boac River and surrounding
seas.

People held on to the belief that the church, with its walls
and fortresses built and fortified with adobe, protected the island from pirate
attacks in the 18th century.

“If you come today, you will see holes on [the church’s
walls]. They say the holes were there for people to look into and shoot their
spears [against the enemies]. Its [location] was very strategic,” said Boac
tourism officer Genoveva Loto.

The cathedral now serves as the church’s center of ministry,
Maralit said. In the same compound is the shrine of the Our Lady of Prompt
Succor.

Thousands flock to the cathedral especially during weekends,
among them tourists and historians.

National Museum declaration

The National Museum in December 2018 declared the Boac
Cathedral an Important Cultural Property, with the formal proclamation held
here on Tuesday.

“Our Cathedral’s walls remained untouched and the church
itself stood as it has for centuries,” said parochial vicar, Christian San
Juan.

In the 1980s, a strong typhoon damaged the church’s roof but
its foundation remained intact, Loto said.

“It’s a source of pride [for Boac],” she said.

Loto hoped that the National Museum’s recognition would
attract attention and aid from national government agencies to preserve the
church.

Maralit said the Boac Cathedral was another “symbol” of the
religiosity of Marinduque, known for preserving its Moriones tradition observed
during the Holy Week.

“[The church] is not just a spiritual refuge of the
community but also a refuge during calamities and war,” San Juan said.

A year ago on Feb. 9, 2018, a switch-on ceremony was held at
the island-barangay of Polo in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque. That was for the first
ever installation of a submarine cable connecting an island to the Marinduque main
grid. The said island thus started to enjoy an uninterrupted 24/7 power supply since then.

On Oct. 25 the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction
of a 3-phase submarine cable connecting the islands of Polo and the popular
island of Maniwaya in Sta. Cruz took place.

Now, exactly a year to the date, another switch-on ceremony occurred last Saturday, February 9th in the island-barangay of Maniwaya. This was led by Cong. Lord Allan Velasco together
with Gov. Romulo Bacorro, Jr., officials of the National Electrification
Administration (NEA), Marinduque Electric Cooperative (Marelco), DENR, PCA and local barangay officials.

Cong. Velasco at the switch-on ceremony

This has ensured an uninterrupted supply of electricity to
the two islands.

The same dream of uninterrupted power supply for the third
island of Brgy. Mongpong is in the offing, a project of the National
Electrification Administration funded through its Barangay Line Enhancement
Program and realized through the tireless efforts of the Marinduque congressman.

Effects in Mogpog River near Butansapa of metal pollution from Marcopper waste dumps, January 2019. Photo courtesy of Nimpa M. Mangana

Two years ago ito ang sinabi ng Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB):

The vast mine dumps of Marcopper in Maguila-guila and Makulapnit areas greatly contribute to the sedimentation of Mogpog and Boac Rivers, as well as the leaching of heavy metals which can be harmful to human and aquatic biota even in low concentrations. The entire stretch of Maguila-gila river valley including the midstream Mogpog River experience the most extensive effects of increased siltation and heavy metal pollution from Marcopper waste dumps.

As for Maguila-guila Siltation Dam, MGB-MIMAROPA is now
closely monitoring the damaged structures of the facility and the development
of subsidence caused by sediment collapse in the reservoir floor of the
impounding structure.

These incidents impose serious threats not only to the
integrity of the Maguila-guila Dam but also to the entire Mogpog riverine
environment.

MGB-MIMAROPA suggested that gabion barriers be constructed at the downstream portion of the Maguila-guila SIltaion Dam near Brgy. Bocboc as a stop-gap measure to control the upsurge of sediments from upstream sources.

MGB-MIMAROPA photo June 2016.

Another structural facility that needs immediate intervention is the Upper Makulapnit by-pass tunnel, which recently showed water leakages from several segments of the sealed tunnel.This condition of Makulapnit by-pass tunnel including other water impounding structures of Marcopper pose the threat of flooding in communities located downstream of the mine site in the event of structural failure.

Water gushing out of an old tunnel, Upper Makulapnit by-pass tunnel, Jan. 2017. Photo: Luna Manrique

Meanwhile, to address the issues on environmental health at the mine area, hydrological survey involving assessment of groundwater condition in both Mogpog and Boac River Basins will be carried out in future monitoring activities.

The EMB-MIMAROPA Region presented the results of its water quality monitoring of the Boac and Mogpog Rivers. The presentation showed that heavy metals such as Lead, Cadmium, and Copper are still present in the waters of Boac and Mogpog Rivers in elevated concentrations, 20 years after Marcopper’s mining operations have stopped.

The UP-PGH presented the results of its rapid assessment of the health of residents living in proximity to the rivers.The results presented showed that several people exhibited skin conditions that may be attributed to the elevated metal concentrations in the river. - Text source: MGB-MIMAROPA 3/17

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